Trade Pitch Sees Bruins Acquiring $16 Defenseman to Bolster Blue Line

The Boston Bruins had a disappointing season last year, and the plan is to be aggressive this offseason to once again be a playoff team.

The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Bruins acquire Erik Gudbranson from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bruins acquire:

• Erik Gudbranson
• Charlie Elick

Blue Jackets acquire:

• Billy Sweezey
• 2025 fifth-round pick

The proposed deal would be an intriguing one as Boston would acquire a veteran defenseman while Columbus more or less dumps Gudbranson’s salary for a limited return.

The Bruins would acquire Gudbranson, who’s entering the final year of his four-year, $16 million deal. Gudbranson is a big-body shutdown defenseman who would be a second or third-pair defenseman for the Bruins and help add some much-needed help to the blue line. Gudbranson was selected third overall in 2010, and last season, he recorded 0 goals and 4 assists for 4 points in just 16 games due to an injury.

Boston would also acquire Elick, who was selected in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft. Elick is a 6-foot-3 defenseman who spent last season in the WHL.

In return, the Bruins would give up a fifth-round pick as well as Sweezey. Sweezey is a 29-year-old defenseman who would replace Gudbranson on the backend for the Blue Jackets. He has one year left on his two-year, $1.55 million deal. Sweezey played for the Blue Jackets in 2022-23, as that is the only season he has appeared in NHL games.

Gudbranson Has Been a Leader for the Blue Jackets

Columbus signed Gudbranson to a four-year deal in 2022, which was a bit of a surprise that he got that much term and money.

However, Gudbranson has been an important leader for a young Blue Jackets team. However, last season, he suffered a shoulder injury just three games into the season, which was a blow to the team.

“It’s a big hole, right?” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “His presence is big. He’s big, physically. But he’s a leader in our locker room, obviously. He’s an (alternate) captain and a guy we’ve relied on. He’s played extremely well all through training camp and to this point, and it’s unfortunate we don’t have him in our lineup.”

With the Bruins, Gudbranson would be a leader for the young players on the roster. He also would replace Brandon Carlo on the blue line as the big-body shutdown defenseman that Boston traded at the deadline.

Bruins GM Plans to be Active in Offseason

Boston was sellers at the trade deadline, which was rare for them.

Heading into a pivotal offseason, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made it clear the goal is to be back in the playoffs next season. He also revealed they will look at all options, whether that’s through trade or free agency, to make the team better.

“We’re going to use every mechanism possible,” Sweeney said.

Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, meanwhile, is confident Boston will be a playoff team next season.

“We’ve spoken at great length about this,” Jacobs said. “The team we currently have — healthy — with the additions we intend to make this summer, I anticipate we will have a playoff team and play meaningful hockey at this time of year in 2026.”

The Bruins enter the offseason with just over $26.2 million in cap space.